


Loved

by smallpoem



Series: Confident [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Podfic Welcome, taeyong puts his new confidence to use and ten finally lets himself have this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27545314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallpoem/pseuds/smallpoem
Summary: Ten laughs, but he shakes his head. “I would’ve fallen in love with you no matter what. It would just have been a sadder story.”
Relationships: Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Series: Confident [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943320
Comments: 16
Kudos: 73





	Loved

**Author's Note:**

> While I’m fairly certain that this can be read as a standalone, it is a continuation of the previous fic in this series, so you might want to read that one first to get the full picture!

Taeyong has been working up to this moment.  
Not this moment in time specifically, it’s not like he set a deadline and has been counting the days, but just… this. He’s been working up to this.  
They’re in yet another dressing room, waiting for their turns in a photoshoot. Both done with their hair and makeup, they’ve been hanging out in a corner, killing time together. Ten looks beyond gorgeous, and Taeyong has continuously been trying and failing not to stare. Thankfully, Ten seems too wrapped up in the story he’s telling to notice.  
The thing is that people started filing out of the room when everyone’s makeup was done, and they’ve been alone in here for a while at this point. And Ten is unreasonably attractive, laughing as he animatedly tells his story with shining eyes. And Taeyong is feeling brave. So. This could be the moment he’s been working up to.  
Taeyong smiles along with Ten as he finishes his anecdote with a punchline, even though he is too distracted to actually understand the joke. His whole body is charged with a restlessness that makes his fingers itch, makes him want to reach out, speak out, finally _do something_ about this thing that’s been growing between them for weeks.  
There’s a beat of silence where they’re just smiling at each other, and something in Taeyong’s mind says, _This is it._ He opens his mouth, finds his voice, and then, just like that, it’s out there.  
“Can I kiss you?”  
Ten’s eyebrows go up and his smile drops until his lips are parted in surprise. There’s something carefully guarded about his expression when he asks, “Why?”  
Taeyong shrugs with a helpless smile.  
“Because I want to.”  
The guarded expression doesn’t leave Ten’s face. Instead his brows knit together and his eyes settle somewhere in the vicinity of Taeyong’s chin. His voice is quiet but insistent.  
“But why do you want to?”  
Taeyong curls in on himself a little. This is not going how he thought it would. He replies more timidly this time, trying to understand where he went wrong.  
“Why are you asking me that?”  
There’s a shift in Ten’s demeanor, subtle but definitive. It’s the way he holds himself, the look in his eyes- defeated almost, resigned, but also… honest. He sighs, squares his shoulders and looks Taeyong in the eyes.   
"Because I like you. And I _want_ to kiss you. But I don't know where this is coming from - this is still so new to you and you're experimenting - and that's okay, it's good! I'm just scared I'll get hurt if that's all this is, if I don't actually mean anything to you."  
Oh. _Oh._ Taeyong shakes his head, silently marveling at the revelation. Softly, he asks, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"  
Ten gives a half-hearted shrug and explains, matter-of-factly, "I didn't want to add another thing weighing on your mind." He’s avoiding Taeyong’s gaze again.  
Taeyong can only shake his head again, incredulous, and now that they’re finally talking about it, the truth spills from his lips by itself. He hears himself say it.  
"You're already always on my mind."  
That actually seems to take Ten off guard. He looks up in shock, his eyes go wide, unguarded, and colour quickly rises to his cheeks. His voice wavers slightly when he asks, "What?"  
Taeyong holds his gaze and steps closer, willing Ten to understand. Somehow words are more difficult than this. He reaches for Ten's hand, tugs him closer still.   
"Kiss me?" he asks, voice barely above a whisper, but it's out there for Ten to hear.  
There’s tension behind Ten’s eyes, a towering dam, a string pulled taut - until it snaps, and the dam breaks and floods Ten with everything he’s been holding back. He gives in, his hand slips out of Taeyong’s and comes up, both hands cupping his face, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. And then he kisses him.  
Taeyong is stunned for a moment. He’s wanted this for so long, has been chipping away at the walls surrounding Ten slowly but consistently, and now that he finally got through to him, it’s... a lot. But it’s good. More than good. Taeyong closes his eyes and tentatively kisses back. His hands come up to rest on top of Ten’s and the kiss stays mostly chaste, but charged with something heavier, something that has built up between them for weeks and now that it finally gets an outlet, it doesn’t seem to want to let them go.  
When they break apart, Ten looks a little dazed and a lot nervous, both highly unusual for him. Taeyong bites his lip and a smile starts spreading over his face. He beams at Ten and Ten starts smiling too.  
“Hey,” he says, and Ten breathes a surprised laugh before replying with a soft “hey” of his own. Taeyong can’t help himself. He leans in and kisses Ten again. His hands move, one tangling into Ten’s hair, the other briefly resting on his shoulder before tentatively wandering down and around until he’s clutching onto the back of his shirt. Ten wraps his arms around Taeyong’s neck in response, pulling him closer, holding him there. They kiss until they have to stop for breath.  
Taeyong doesn’t want to let go and, thankfully, Ten doesn’t seem to be planning on going anywhere. He smiles, leans his forehead against Taeyong’s and brushes their noses together. Taeyong could weep with joy.  
They stay like that, occupying the same space, breathing the same air. Just revelling in each other’s presence.  
"You gotta give me a little more credit,” Taeyong mumbles. “This is not as new to me as you think. Only the confidence to act on it is."  
Ten pulls back to look at him, one eyebrow raised and a teasing smile on his lips. "Hyung, did you have a crush on me all this time?"  
Taeyong can feel the blush coming on, but he doesn't look away. He holds Ten’s gaze and says honestly, "Yeah. I did."  
Ten’s smile is brilliant and accented by the prettiest, rosiest blush. He ducks his head for a moment, then leans closer again until their lips are almost brushing, just shy of a kiss.  
“Well, aren’t I lucky.” He’s trying to say it jokingly, but the overwhelming happiness drowns any remaining edge out of his voice. Taeyong sympathises. He’s not sure he’s ever been as happy as this in his life.

“Don’t you think it’s funny?”  
They’re side by side, leaning against the frame of an open window, watching the sun set over the city. Ten turns his head to look at Taeyong, but he’s still gazing out at the pink and orange sky.  
“What do you mean?”  
Taeyong shrugs, still not looking at Ten. “I mean what are the odds? That in a group of so many boys, the two gay ones end up crushing on each other.”  
Ten laughs, but he shakes his head. “I would’ve fallen in love with you no matter what. It would just have been a sadder story.”  
Taeyong’s head snaps around at that, staring at Ten wide-eyed and open-mouthed, an intense blush rapidly taking over his face. Ten is almost sure he can actually feel the heat radiating off of him. Where is this suddenly coming from? Ten is so taken aback that he can only look back at Taeyong with a perplexed grin and slowly ask, “What?”  
Taeyong breaks out into a shy, incredulous smile.  
“I’m in love with you, too.”  
Oh. Ten’s heart drops into his stomach and then jumps into his throat when he realises his own confession. And then he blushes all over. And then he starts laughing. Incredulous, still, at how Taeyong surprises him again and again and makes him feel like the luckiest person in the world.  
Taeyong laughs too, but he leans in and captures Ten’s lips in a giddy kiss.  
The sun keeps setting, indifferent to the odds of human emotion. Night creeps in slowly but surely, chasing the warmth of the day away and bringing a cool breeze with it instead. But Ten barely notices. He doesn’t feel the cold. Next to Taeyong, he just feels warm, and safe, and loved.

**Author's Note:**

> It is done! Finally!  
> The words for the first two parts came so easily that it surprised me how much I had to wrestle this one into shape. I’m still not as happy with it as I maybe could’ve been, but I'm content calling it finished as it is, and I hope you enjoyed reading it nonetheless! Thank you for going on my first little taeten journey with me! ♥ Hopefully there’ll be more in the future :D


End file.
